We Must Choose One Initiative

“There are three viable initiatives for cannabis legalization that are bidding to make the ballot in California, and the honest truth is that we cannot afford to split the effort for legalization into three camps, all fighting for resources and energy. We must choose one effort to rally around and all put our best foot forward if we have any chance of making the ballot and actually passing a cannabis freedom initiative in 2012. Any of the initiatives are better than what we have now by a long shot.” – Mickey Martin, Dec. 30, 2011

For once I find myself agreeing with Mickey Martin. We shouldn’t be fighting amongst each other for funding and volunteers, we should just pick the best initiative and go with it.

I should disclose at this point I also serve as “Director of Activist Communications” for the Regulate Marijuana Like Wine Act (RMLW) team. I’ve already chosen which initiative is the best one. But I will still try and do a good job of accurately pointing out the relevant information that would allow an undecided person to decide which initiative it would be in their own interest to support. The comment section will be open – as always – for others to add information they find relevant and correct me on any mistakes they feel I may have made in this analysis.

There is talk on the Drug Policy Forum of California email list of a “Cannadome” – a “four initiatives enter and one leaves” debate event. However, don’t hold your breath for RMLW to participate in such an event, as others involved in it enjoy misspeaking about our team and then when we successfully refute their confused statements they refuse to print retractions, ever. For example, Mickey Martin misrepresented RMLW Chief Officer Steve Kubby’s statement of support for all the initiatives as a statement saying he was pulling his initiative from the running – and never printed a retraction:

Bill Panzer called me a liar, and then failed to apologize when I proved myself to be correct (see the article and the comment section, DML, Wed, 11/16/2011 – 12:24):

http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/node/28992

We expect more of the same from these people.

The RMLW team is all for the public comparing our initiatives and for our community to rally behind the best one, but I feel such a comparison could take place in an article like this far more easily than in an event.

Currently in the running there are four marijuana-related initiatives that could be on the California ballot in 2012. Three involve legalization and one involves the regulation of medicinal marijuana. Let’s look at the medicinal marijuana regulation initiative first.

It’s called the “California Medical Marijuana Regulation, Control and Taxation Act”.

It has a website: http://www.regulatemedicalmarijuana.org/

You can read the actual initiative here: americansforsafeaccess.org/downloads/MMRCT.pdf

I read the initiative and then sent it’s author and chief proponent, California Cannabis Association organizer and attorney George Mull some questions – his answers are in block quotes:

1) It says in your press release of Jan. 19th, 2012, that:

“Mandate state registration after July 1, 2013 for every person in California engaged in cultivating, processing, manufacturing, transporting, distributing, selling medical marijuana for use by others.”

Would federal prosecutors have access to this information?

The initiative mandates that “No funds shall be spent by state or local officials to assist federal authorities in enforcing marijuana prohibition on activities carried out by persons in compliance with the provisions of this article. Section 11362.97(b). This mandates that state and local officials not actively assist federal authorities, but nothing passed as state law, whether by the legislature or by initiative, would be able to stop a federal warrant.

If the answer is yes, does this not put everyone at risk of federal prosecution?

There is always a risk of federal prosecution and would continue to be with registration. The hope is that with a well regulated system in place, there is actually less likelihood of federal prosecution of registrants as long as they are acting in conformance with the regulations.

If the answer is no, what provisions within the Act will prevent federal prosecutors having access to this information?

As stated earlier, a proper subpoena could get at specific information.

2) It says on the FAQ page:

“While the Act imposes a sales tax of 2.5% on medical marijuana, patients can expect an overall decrease in the cost of their medication due to the lower operating expenses from a safe, well-regulated environment.”

What operating expenses would you expect to be lowered from this Act?

The better way to view this, in my opinion, is that registration, and the concomitant benefit of knowing that the business is legal and authorized under state and local rules, will allow more certainty as to return on investment. This will allow providers to feel secure in recovering their investment over a longer period, without feeling they need to recover their investment in a short time out of fear they will be closed before making their money back.

3) Does Article 2.8 of the Act permit a minimum of one dispensary per 50,000 residents of a city? Is there a maximum number of dispensaries allowed per 50,000 residents?

Yes, there will be a minimum of one dispensary per 50,000 residents in any city with a population of greater than 50,000 persons. The maximum in excess of that could be set by the county or city. Any city or county wanting LESS than one per 50,000 would only be able to accomplish that by putting a measure on the ballot and having the people approve that smaller number or ban.

His answers reveal to me three things:

1) He is unconcerned that this initiative solves the US Federal Government’s only obstacle of rounding up of all those involved in dispensaries at once – how to get all the information about everyone involved. The Feds lack the resources to do this … this initiative does this.

2) Any concerns addressed by med pot clubs being “more legal” under state law will be outweighed by the “making it easier for the Feds to get everyone” element, and therefore there will be no savings to “operational expenses”.

3) His initiative makes total prohibitions difficult but monopolies easy. In contrast, RMLW makes both total prohibitions AND monopolies impossible.

For these reasons, the “California Medical Marijuana Regulation, Control and Taxation Act” is worse than no change at all, and I will be advising people not to support it or vote for it.

Now let’s look at the remaining three initiatives:

The “California Cannabis Hemp & Health Initiative 2012” is by far the best of the three initiatives from the cannabis community’s perspective. It has large personal grow allowances – 99 plants – minimal licensing requirements and minimal taxation. It is also known as the “Jack Herer” initiative and has been trying to get on the ballot for years. It was written by Chris Conrad and edited by Jack’s lawyer – Bill McPike. Mr. McPike was also the main author of RMLW.

The reason it probably won’t make the ballot this year is the reason it hasn’t ever made the ballot – it has yet to attract the millions of dollars required to collect signatures. My intuition tells me that it won’t get this money until there are thousands of “like-wine” pot cafes willing to pool their resources, as the billionaires who fund initiatives are careful only to give money to initiatives that poll over 60%, and the “minimal regulation” model that CCHHI represents barely polls over 50%.

If you happen to be one of those billionaires who is willing to put a million or two on a longshot, this is the website to go to:

http://www.cchhi2012.org/

The last remaining initiatives are the “repeal” initiative and the “wine model” initiative. Both stand a chance of attracting major funding.

Let’s examine these last two initiatives with these questions in mind.

30. Some people say marijuana should be treated like alcohol and tobacco. They say it should be regulated and taxed and made illegal for minors. Do you agree?

Strongly agree . . 34%

Agree . . 24%

Neither agree, nor disagree . . 19%

Disagree . . 7%

Strongly disagree . . 16%

As you can see, Strongly Agree + Agree = 34% + 24% or 58% support. However, this was a nationwide poll of 1,000 respondents. When data just for the West was teased out of the results by Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates, the polling climbs to 62%.

Amount of money and number of signatures

“But the news wasn’t all bad–apparently, the fourth quarter of last year saw a major boost for the so-called Regulate Marijuana Like Wine Initiative, which is slated for this November’s ballot and if passed, would effectively legalize marijuana for recreational use by adults. Specifically, according to the campaign’s organizers, they raised $100,000 and collected 20,000 signatures last fall.”- OC Weekly, Jan 3, 2012

But the truth of the matter is that one team has gotten organized first and submitted it’s language first, is way ahead in public AND activist polling AND fundraising AND endorsements. It’s the wine model by a long shot.

The RMLW team has paid for a professional private polling firm to see how our initiative does with 800 potential California voters. We expect the results back in late January. We expect to get at least 55% support for our initiative. We expect to attract big money donations if our initiative does well in this poll. If other initiatives can’t even raise the money to do such polling and we poll at or over 55%, we strongly recommend those organizing the other initiatives to read the writing on the wall, quit beating their heads against the wall and join our initiative early enough to take positions of responsibility and influence. Being on the winning team is the best way to ensure one will actually earn the bragging rights that is inevitably tied to such a victory.

Many people predict an increase in cannabis crackdowns in the USA. As one writer put it:

The madness will not end by educational activities alone. It will not end by appealing to reason, or lobbying politicians, or through the courts. Only the initiative process has a hope of success, because it’s the only process that has yielded results.

Perhaps, if the wine model doesn’t pass in 2012, we can all band together and try the repeal model next time. Perhaps, if the wine model does pass in 2012, we can band together and push the Jack Herer initiative through next time. That’s the type of unity that the movement should be displaying during these difficult times.

Given the fact that times are tough, money raising is not easy, the raids are happening left and right … it’s time to get honest with ourselves. If we’re going to be honest with ourselves and each other, the initiative we should get behind is Regulate Marijuana Like Wine.

So let’s stop wasting time and energy and let’s all legalize cannabis. For everyone. Together.

Comments

18 Comments

It’s ashame that the FEDS are putting the medical cannabis industry in California under attack! But for months I’ve been telling friends that I smelled a major push back from the religious right, and now here it is! I’m a Democrat, so I felt extra betrayed by the Obama Administration. Why did he change in mid stream? After telling the people who help elected him to office not to worry as long as they were in compliance with their state’s medical cannabis laws. I feel this is just the start of their push back against the medical cannabis industry in all the medical cannabis states. I live in Democratic controlled state, Hawaii. We are a medical cannabis state, with a Democratic Governor, Democratic controlled Senate, and a Democartic controlled House. Yet there are bills in Hawaii this year trying to reverse what little ground we have made in the past 10 + years in favor of medical cannabis. The local police are pretty much telling our spineless politicans what to say in the bill[s]. On the Big Island where I live the biggest number of medical cannabis card holders are the 18 to 22 year olds. They make up almost 50% of the islands card holders. So they want to remove ‘Chronic Pain’,as an exceptable reason to get medical cannabis. This is total bullshit, the demographics of that age(18 to 22) is mostly liberal. Of course their number of user is gonna be higher because of their progressive way of thinking. Cannabis over Big Pharma any day!

Anyway the FEDS are waging their war ever so quite at the moment not to “kick dirt up”, but to move hard & swift against this industry! So it’s time to call and see where your local politican sits?

Anonymous on
February 15, 2012 11:04 am

It’s ashame that the FEDS are putting the medical cannabis industry in California under attack! But for months I’ve been telling friends that I smelled a major push back from the religious right, and now here it is! I’m a Democrat, so I felt extra betrayed by the Obama Administration. Why did he change in mid stream? After telling the people who help elected him to office not to worry as long as they were in compliance with their state’s medical cannabis laws. I feel this is just the start of their push back against the medical cannabis industry in all the medical cannabis states. I live in Democratic controlled state, Hawaii. We are a medical cannabis state, with a Democratic Governor, Democratic controlled Senate, and a Democartic controlled House. Yet there are bills in Hawaii this year trying to reverse what little ground we have made in the past 10 + years in favor of medical cannabis. The local police are pretty much telling our spineless politicans what to say in the bill[s]. On the Big Island where I live the biggest number of medical cannabis card holders are the 18 to 22 year olds. They make up almost 50% of the islands card holders. So they want to remove ‘Chronic Pain’,as an exceptable reason to get medical cannabis. This is total bullshit, the demographics of that age(18 to 22) is mostly liberal. Of course their number of user is gonna be higher because of their progressive way of thinking. Cannabis over Big Pharma any day!

Anyway the FEDS are waging their war ever so quite at the moment not to “kick dirt up”, but to move hard & swift against this industry! So it’s time to call and see where your local politican sits?

Robert R. on
February 12, 2012 12:54 am

makes no sense by implying that an incarcerated person has no worth or valid opinion to endorse a point-of-view. One has to only see how Nelson Mandela went from political prisoner to Nobel prize winner to President of a country to know that. Marc Emery has shown more honesty and integrity than most politicians. That insulting troll should keep his worthless opinion if he can’t say anything intelligent.

Mandy on
February 10, 2012 11:19 pm

Thanks for the interesting and very informative article. I am truly bothered by the way the feds are storming into California and cracking down on the medical marijuana industry. If California goes, the rest of the country will most likely never get legalization. It is time politicians listen to the millions of medical marijuana patients and cannabis culture.

David on
February 5, 2012 6:51 am

I meant wine not whine.

David Wood on
February 5, 2012 6:47 am

Even though that’s an american motto it really applies to the fight we’re in on both sides of the border. The opposition is united on this and with us being divided on how best to legalize it we can’t win against them unless we come together and fight back. While I agree with you that the regulate marijuana like whine initiative is the best option. The people who created the other initiatives shouldn’t support yours for bragging rights if/when it passes. They should support it because it’s better for everyone to stand together and get the word out about the initiative. So the public can learn and educate themselves about what it says and would mean if/when passed. I really hope you get this passed so the rest of the country can see that the country isn’t any worse off and follow suit. Lastly thank you for your effort in helping to change the laws here in america. I appreciate it.

Castklearr on
February 3, 2012 10:20 pm

FUCK ANY LAWS THAT CIRCUMVENT MY ACCESS TO ANY PLANT ON EARTH.

Any person that goes with regulating any plant on EARTH is a stupid network of educated idiots. If I wanna die on mushrooms all I need is facts not based on social engineering.

If I want peyote I gotta be an indian?

No mushrooms for you….you might have an awakening and how could we control people high on there own mind?

Police who needs them….Marijuana and all other plants should be free fro regulation!

kundalini…….work it!

AFH on
January 30, 2012 4:06 am

California is under direct assault. The feds are taking down everything systematically. Gag orders are keeping things quiet. The press is ignoring pleas from patients to cover the crackdowns.

We need to do something NOW about the feds or all is lost in every state.

foam on
January 29, 2012 6:02 am

regulation taxes and corporatism aren’t likely to pass..Washington State is likely the first to legalise..It’s already de facto legal in Cali

Reverend Unruh on
January 28, 2012 7:50 pm

“That will generate direct lots of comparisons” should be “That will generate lots of direct comparisons” … oops.

Reverend Unruh on
January 28, 2012 7:47 pm

Another thing I like about this concept is it introduces wine as a comparative business model.

That will generate direct lots of comparisons between the two in people’s minds and in their conversations in the fields of medicine, harm reduction, art, food, etc, including religion.

I consider that a big step. A lot of people in the general cannabis medical movement are not at all interested in us achieving any real freedom, especially of the religious kind. Regulating marijuana like wine makes a lot more sense to me than laws that are more restrictive. I have wine grapes in my yard, I’m not on any list. The idea I would have to register to grow a plant offends me and my religious views of things.

It also smacks of police state control freaks. I think we have all had more than enough of that.

Anonymous on
January 28, 2012 12:29 am

We don’t have to pick one, and it is foolish to do so. I believe Repeal Cannabis Prohibition Act is much better because it allows all ADULTS to make their own choices. The others maintain the insane 21+ age restriction. Even so, I think people should vote YES ON ALL 3, because all would be an improvement of the status quo and we don’t know which ballot will have the best chance so its best to cover our ass and vote yes on all 3.

DML on
January 27, 2012 12:51 am

Are you saying that prison bars prevent endorsements from being valid? How so? And how does legalizing cannabis set back legalization. I think your argument needs more logic and less insults.

Anonymous on
January 26, 2012 7:56 pm

Marc Emery is in fucking prison you asshole
you might as well have listed dead people

DML ( Dickweed marijuana Loogie ) – did you dream this up while _you were in prison ?
pushing legalization back farther and faster than any cop ever could